Pages

Tuesday 27 May 2008

Empress Market Part 3

The short video is slowly, I mean slowly moving forward. Check earlier Empress Market entries. I went down to the market this morning and took a few site shots. It was about 09.00am and things were just starting up. Fabulous array of traders and rickshaw drivers etc getting organised for the day. Here in this posting you have some fabulous shots of the good side of Empress Market. I know it is easy to write about these places and make it all sound so 'pretty' and so forth. However a friend chatted with me today (thanks Mac) and suggested/requested I try and portray more of the real feelings about visiting and being in such places. He's got a good point and I've decided therefore to add a bit more to this posting and try to explain what he meant. When you look at these pictures you all see an array of colours and a generally smiling and happy set of people going about their daily business with little or no mention by me of the dirt, squaller, rancid smells, piles of shit etc which you have to step over to get anywhere, and far less, any comment by me, on the generally poor live style of so many of them ( life style being an exaggeration by any stretch of the definition). You can be forgiven therefore after reading my Blogs for assuming life in Karachi is not so bad. Well for some like me it's great, but it is not so good for most, and for a vast majority of souls working in and around the market area its tough, uncompromising and I imagine downright depressing.
So during the next few posting I think I will make a determined departure from my usual topics and put in an effort and concentrate on a few of the environmental and social aspects to life in Karachi. A sort of 'these are the bad side of things'. I'll be going back to Empress market as a starter, and will try in a very realistic fashion to capture the 'other side' of it all. Hygiene or lack thereof will be a predominant feature. Could be I do a 'nice' video of Empress Market and maybe a second one as if to say there are several sides to Karachi. Good and definitely not so good. I've stayed away from it thinking readers don't want to know, and I've been happy to write about good stuff as well, but, now maybe it's time to look at the 'dark side'.
What do you think? Do you agree? If you've managed to read this far please give me some feed back on this aspect. Thanks.(p.s. that's what the comments box is for!!!). Look forward to hearing from you.

3 comments:

Jussaemon said...

Hi Alan.

I'm Jus, Wana's friend (not your Wanna but Fahim's Wana... LOL), and am married to a Lahori.

Last week i was reading your blog and was plunged into despair cos i miss Pakistan / Lahore soo much... I visited Pak for the first time last Jan.

Anyways, yes writing a balanced view is good. needless to say, need to be a bit diplomatic writing the other side of the story. Some of the natives might get offended.

I also wrote about my Lahore exp at jussaemon.blogspot.com under the "travel" tab.

Till then,
Jus

Al said...

Jus,

Thats Great! I sooo sooo wanted a response!! Yes I know exactly what you mean... And there are some big egos to step on!
I like your Blog and will keep an eye on is happening with you.
Mine I started really for fun, to learn what it was all about and to keep my folks up to date. Dad loves to know what going on but there's not much point telling him the down side of it all.
I should be seeing Wana and Fahim next week.
FYI. I'm not married to a Pakistani, I'm from Uk and Wanna (My Wanna!) is from Thailand.
Keep in touch.
Alan

Jussaemon said...

Wow your dad is internet savvy? Cool!

Can i request for more days per page of posts? cos im reading your archives.

The secret to "Success" ..... is never, never, give up trying.